Adolescent Anger Attacks Common and Persistent

Adolescent Anger Attacks Common and Persistent

The first national data on prevalence and correlates of adolescent intermittent explosive disorder (IED) show that nearly two-thirds of adolescents with IED report “lifetime” anger attacks (continuing over at least a year) that involve destroying property, threatening violence, or engaging in violence. The authors outline ways to resolve diagnostic disagreements and develop effective treatment strategies.

Community-based studies have documented that IED is as common as many other psychiatric disorders. The author highlights recent research that has helped develop better criteria to identify IED patients, including those with elevated levels of aggression, impulsivity, familial risk of aggression, and abnormalities in neurobiological markers of aggression.